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VFW FEELS ITS AGE IN DECLINING NUMBERS -- "I didn't want

to hang out in a bar with a lot of old guys who think their war

was tougher than mine. You just didn't feel welcome."

For more about the VFW, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=vfw&op=and

Story here... http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/in
dex.ssf?/base/news/1203810903316670.xml&coll=1&thispage=2

Story below: 

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VFW feels its age in declining numbers

Posts shrink and close; few Iraq returnees join

BY JERRY L. GLEASON
Of The Patriot-News

The bar at the Fox-Eichelberger VFW Post in New Cumberland was a busy place on a recent weekday afternoon, with most of the stools occupied by men and women socializing over a glass of beer or a cigarette.

There wasn't a veteran under 40 among them.

"You don't see a lot of young veterans joining the VFW," said Robert Mallon, 64, of New Cumberland, a 17-year veteran of the Army and the Navy who saw combat in Vietnam.

As World War II veterans reach their 80s, the new guard isn't replacing them at the Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, and it's taking a toll. Nearly 15 percent of VFWs in Pennsylvania have closed in the past 15 years as part of a decline of membership that's being felt around the nation.

More than 15 million men and women served in U.S. forces during World War II, said John B. Getz, the state VFW commander.

But few of the million or so American men and women who have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 are joining veterans' organizations.

"It's like it was when we came back from Vietnam," said Mallon, a member of the Fox-Eichelberger VFW Post. "We didn't want to be with a bunch of old fuddy-duddies. Today's young veterans don't, either. I'm 64, and I still think of World War II and Korean vets as old fogies."

Now, the boot is on the other foot.

Older organizations such as the VFW and American Legion haven't made Iraq war veterans feel welcome, said Robert J. Page, the chief operating officer of the Iraq War Veterans Organization.

Page, 43, of Reno, Nev., is an ex-Marine and a Navy Reserve senior chief petty officer who served in the Gulf and Iraq wars. He joined a VFW post when he came home from the Gulf War, but didn't remain a member, he said.

"There wasn't anything there for me," he said. "I didn't want to hang out in a bar with a lot of old guys who think their war was tougher than mine.

"You just didn't feel welcome. There is a gulf between the veterans of different generations, and they don't actively recruit among younger veterans."

But Heather Janesko, an assistant manager at the Palmyra VFW, said the place gets "a very nice young crowd" of veterans, including some from the wars in the Middle East.

"The 20-year-olds say the same thing as the older vets -- they like the environment," she said.

Janesko and Holmes Powell, a member of the post's advisory committee, said it offers activities that appeal to younger vets, such as bike rides, karaoke nights and bands.

Powell said the older members make it a point to reach out to the younger ones.

"We don't push anything, but we're here if they want to get something off their chests," he said.

VFW officials said young veterans need the posts.

Charles Allen, 63, of New Cumberland, is a junior vice commander at the VFW post there.

Allen said the value of VFW membership to him is service to the community and to other veterans, whether it's lobbying Congress for benefits, mailing packages to soldiers in Iraq or visiting veterans in Veterans Affairs hospitals.

The VFW fights for veterans' benefits, including compensation for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange and for veterans diagnosed with Gulf War syndrome. The group also has worked to improve VA medical centers, including better screening procedures for breast and lung cancer.

According to VFW statistics, the organization annually recoups more than $1 billion in VA benefits and compensation claims for veterans or their dependents.

VFW officials said the claims process can be exhausting and frustrating and often takes years to complete. The VFW guides veterans through the process.

Declining numbers due to an aging membership reduces the VFW's political power, Getz said.

"Younger vets need us, but most of them don't realize it," Getz said. "Membership is important because the more numbers we have, the more political clout we have. It gives us the political power to keep and improve their benefits."

The Iraq War Veterans Organization has the same mission as the VFW and other veterans organizations, advocating for veterans benefits and support for them and their families, Page said.

The organization operates strictly on the Internet (www.iraqwarveterans.org), providing its services for free.

"We hope to establish local organizations soon throughout the country," Page said.

Staff writer Monica von Dobeneck contributed to this report.

JERRY L. GLEASON: 255-8424 or jgleason@patriot-news.com

BY THE NUMBERS

The Pennsylvania VFW has 123,436 members, a decline of 1,550 from its 2007 membership of 124,986. The number of VFW posts across the state has dropped from 670 to 570 over the last 15 years. Nationwide, the number of VFW posts has decreased from 10,500 to 8,400 since 1997. National membership stands at 1.7 million -- less than 10 percent of the roughly 20 million U.S. veterans eligible to join the VFW. TO LEARN MORE www.vfw.org  www.iraqwarveterans.org

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posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org

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